Chapter 4Wife's 5-Year Scam

Somehow, someone had leaked the address of the place I was staying.

People kept shoving threatening letters under my door, splashing paint across it, leaving dead cats on my doorstep. Because of it, I tried to avoid leaving the house at all.

But people still showed up to fight Tyler's battles for him, hanging banners right outside my door.

"How does the academic world end up with scum like you in it? Stealing your own student's research?"

"Pity anyone unlucky enough to be your student. Honestly, at this point, we'd support it even if Tyler and Victoria really were together. Better him than someone like you."

They'd usually camp out there for an entire day, the shouting and cursing going on without a break, day or night. I lost track of how long I spent living like that, holed up and numb to everything.

Then Victoria called.

"Alexander, get to the hospital. Something happened to Miles."

Her voice was hoarse, like she'd just been crying. I didn't think twice about anything else. He was, after all, my only child.

The moment I stepped outside, people were there waiting for me. Rotten eggs and vegetable scraps rained down on me, and every so often someone charged at me with their fists raised. I finally made it to the hospital, looking like a wreck.

Victoria and Tyler were both there. Tyler had a doctor by the hand, begging over and over.

"Doctor, please, save him, he's still so young..."

The doctor glanced around at all of us.

"Which one of you is the father? He was in a car accident, and the blood bank is running low. We need to draw blood now."

I caught my breath, rolled up my sleeve, and rasped, "I am. Take mine."

Tyler kept glancing my way, but I didn't have the energy to spare him a thought. The blood draw was over quickly.

Just as I thought everything was fine, a nurse rushed over, frowning, and handed the doctor a lab report. The doctor read it, his brow furrowing in open frustration.

"This is a matter of life and death, and you people are playing games?

"Your wife is type B, and you're type O. There's no way the two of you could have a child with type AB blood."

My mind went blank. I stared at the words on the report, unable to move.

That was when Tyler shoved past me.

"I'm his real father. He's my son!"

The doctor gave him a strange look, but he didn't say another word, just led Tyler off to draw his blood. I stood there frozen, cold all the way to the bone.

Victoria forced herself to speak.

"Alexander, I'll explain everything later. Right now, our son comes first."

I forced a smile and tossed the report at her.

"He's your son. Yours and his."

I finally understood why Miles, autistic since birth, had always taken to Tyler so easily. Tyler had been his real father all along.

I'd spent five years raising another man's child for five years.

I turned and walked away, one step at a time. When I called my lawyer, he told me everything was ready to go.

Five years ago, I could leave Victoria with nothing. Five years later, I still could.

I said calmly, "I don't want custody anymore. Release everything. The photos, the chat logs, all of it."